Let me see if I’ve got this straight, Joffrey Lupul. You have played a grand total of 41 shifts and just over 33 minutes in a Toronto Maple Leafs uniform and you are already shooting off your mouth about how other players in the NHL should play. Is that right? After a fight on Saturday night with Canadiens’ rookie defenceman PK Subban, you weren’t happy when PK didn’t remove his helmet in a timely fashion. “It’s a pretty standard move when you both have visors on to take them off and go,” you said. Here’s a good idea, Joffrey…perhaps you might want to shut up!

Listen, don’t get me wrong. I think it’s admirable that you dropped ’em with PK. It’s a perfect way to show your Leafs’ teammates that you are here to do whatever it takes. Great. But when some kid doesn’t do what you think he should on the ice, forget about it! What you should be worrying about is how to take that gross underachievement you are calling your NHL career and getting it back on track.

You were chosen seventh overall in 2002. That’s nine years ago, buddy! And, in your seven full NHL seasons (injuries aside), you have yet to score 30 goals or even 60 points. And you’re telling other guys what to do on the ice?

I understand that old PK has said and done a few things, over the years, that you “veterans” find a tad controversial. Tough. The kid can do whatever he wants. Next time you guys play Montreal, on February 24th at Bell Centre, if you want to grab number 76 and remove his helmet with your fist, go right ahead.

If you want to casually put your arm around him during warm-up and quietly ask, “Excuse me, my friend, but the next time we go toe-to-toe, would you mind removing your visored headgear concurrently with my removal?” that would be fine. But this whining after the game about something some kid did, while you and the other 11 forwards wearing blue and white couldn’t even squeeze one past Carey Price, looks
juvenile.

Maybe just let your stick do your talking, Joffrey. Maybe work your a** off and let the chips fall where they may. Maybe pull yourself out of your take-the-money-and-run, seven-year funk you’ve been in.

But, while your considering doing all that, shut your mouth!

Steve Lansky's first exposure to the game was at storied Maple Leaf Gardens, running downstairs at the end of every period just to watch the great Dave Keon walk off the ice to the room. A decade later, while he was still in high school, Oilers' head coach Glen Sather asked Lansky, "Hey, how'd you like to be our team statistician?" In 1983, at the age of 22, Lansky became the youngest producer in the history of CBC's Hockey Night in Canada, giving him a front-row seat to the Edmonton Oilers' dynasty. Lansky also helped launch Rogers Sportsnet's fledgling hockey coverage when the network made its début in 1998.
You can follow him at bigmouthsports.com and at twitter.com/bigmouthsports

I would like to address your calling his NHL career a "gross under achievement". You seem to be suggesting that his career has not lived up to being a seventh overall pick. Lets look at the 7th overalls around him. Shall we?

I don't think I really need to explain Komi's career to you. But he was a very good shut down defenseman who's career seemed to collapse after he was signed by Toronto. Even after trading our biggest minute muncher he is only being given 8 minutes, with a rookie (Keith Aulie) being trusted enough to get over 20 minutes.
(Note= I do not consider it an accurate analysis to analyze his box-score stats as he is a defensive defenseman. But I included them for consistency)

I'll keep this short and sweet. 23 Goals would rank him tied for 71st-77th last year, and 47 points would rank him tied for 123rd-127th. That means he would be a top 3 goal scorer in the NHL (3 players per team *30 teams=90 players) and a top 5 player in regards to points. (Also note I included defenseman in these rankings so in regards to forwards he would actually be a little higher).

2003- Ryan Sutur (D)
438 NHL GP 28 G 179 Pts
Average year= 5 G 33 Pts

I'll keep this short and sweet. Suter is a better player than Lupul. He is a top 2 defenseman who plays hard minutes and puts up good points for a defenseman.

A player who showed good promise early in his career and got a contract to go with this potential. However he has never lived up to it with his best year in G being last year (14) and points being 06/07 with 30 (before anyone asks the reason his average Pts per season is higher is because the "year" is for 82 GP. He has never played a full season). So his best year is WELL below (barely more than half) of Lupul's AVERAGE.

2005- Jack Skille (RW)
81 NHL 12G 25 Pts
Average year = 12 G 25 Pts

This may be too soon to judge him, but there is a reason he hasn't been able to make the NHL by 23 (nearly 24). He has tried to make the NHL each of the last 4 years, only becoming an NHL regular this year.

So in the end one of the 6 is better than him (Suter), 2 are NHL are regulars of inferior production (Komisarek, Olesz), 2 couldn't make the NHL (Jonsson and Beech), and one (Skille) looks likely to be MUCH worse but still may need more time (way more than Lupul needed (he scored 28 goals as a 22 year old).

So no I wouldn't say he has underachieved. Thats part 1.

Now for part 2, does he have the right to tell others how to act on the ice? I would say he has earned that for three different reasons.

1)Being a veteran of 423 NHL games he has clearly done his time to be able to call out a rookie when he thinks one is out of line. Especially when his complaint was based on his own actions on the ice against him. Lupul fought him. Its not like he was just whining from the side lines.

2) Lupul recovered from a horrible injury and then a terrible (and terribly unlucky) blood infection to follow it. What does he do after it? He trains as hard as he can and gets back in the game. Thats perseverance. If he gets into a fight with some punk rookie who doesn't even follow the unwritten rules, he has the right to call him out.

3) He was asked. He didn't go looking for the media to say that. You can't blame him for answering.

Finally, why are you being such a smart ass:
"If you want to casually put your arm around him during warm-up and quietly ask, “Excuse me, my friend, but the next time we go toe-to-toe, would you mind removing your visored headgear concurrently with my removal?” that would be fine."

Clearly thats the way hockey players act. Get your head in reality. "Excuse me, my friend?" We both know this suggestion is nonsense.

This is the dumbest thing I have ever read, the number of points you get has nothing to do with whether or not you can critique another player. If Lupul was criticizing Subban's scoring ability then maybe you have a point, but it was a fight. Subban has a reputation around the league and has only played 54 regular season games compared to Lupul's 423, so he can say whatever the hell he wants. The only one who should shutup is you.

Let me see if I've got this straight, Steve Lansky. You've played a grand total of 0 shifts and around 0 minutes in any NHL uniform and you are already shooting off your mouth about how other players should play?

But seriously. Is Lupul a 41-shift NHL virgin who has barely been around half an hour, and so doesn't deserve to talk, or the wily yet underachieving veteran of nine years that...doesn't deserve to talk?

You're right though. Lupul should really respect PK, even if he's just a kid, even if he says some stuff we don't agree with. But no, instead, Lupul had to go ahead and say some stuff we don't agree with. Rookie mistake. Veteran mistake? I'm confused.

Maybe he should just let his stick do his talking. Maybe you should work "you're" ass off on grammar, if you're going to spend your days writing. Good call on the "take-the-money-and-run" comment though. That's right, Joffrey, run all the way to back surgery. What a scam.

Lupul's mistake was verbalizing his thoughts about Subban's move at all. The true professional simply plays the game.

Wayne Gretzky made this mistake one time; when he referred to the New Jersey Devils as "Mickey Mouse." Not smart. And that's why Wayne is as respected as he is today.

Then why the love for PK who has "said and done some things you veterans find controversial"? Should PK just play the game too? But then we can't take digs at old man Lupul!

The true professional doesn't accuse a guy who went through back surgery of being a con man because his numbers are a bit low.

The point is, you're whining about his conduct when you say he shouldn't be whining about PK's conduct. Except you didn't get punched in the face when you weren't expecting it. Also, nice way to welcome a guy to the team. Go Leafs Go, right?

Haha Steve this is one of you funniest jokes ever... or I least I hope its a joke because if not, it makes this blog one...well not so much because of thankfully the other writers. I guess all shoes need a heel and your it.

I would like to address your calling his NHL career a "gross under achievement". You seem to be suggesting that his career has not lived up to being a seventh overall pick. Lets look at the 7th overalls around him. Shall we?

I don't think I really need to explain Komi's career to you. But he was a very good shut down defenseman who's career seemed to collapse after he was signed by Toronto. Even after trading our biggest minute muncher he is only being given 8 minutes, with a rookie (Keith Aulie) being trusted enough to get over 20 minutes.
(Note= I do not consider it an accurate analysis to analyze his box-score stats as he is a defensive defenseman. But I included them for consistency)

I'll keep this short and sweet. 23 Goals would rank him tied for 71st-77th last year, and 47 points would rank him tied for 123rd-127th. That means he would be a top 3 goal scorer in the NHL (3 players per team *30 teams=90 players) and a top 5 player in regards to points. (Also note I included defenseman in these rankings so in regards to forwards he would actually be a little higher).

2003- Ryan Sutur (D)
438 NHL GP 28 G 179 Pts
Average year= 5 G 33 Pts

I'll keep this short and sweet. Suter is a better player than Lupul. He is a top 2 defenseman who plays hard minutes and puts up good points for a defenseman.

A player who showed good promise early in his career and got a contract to go with this potential. However he has never lived up to it with his best year in G being last year (14) and points being 06/07 with 30 (before anyone asks the reason his average Pts per season is higher is because the "year" is for 82 GP. He has never played a full season). So his best year is WELL below (barely more than half) of Lupul's AVERAGE.

2005- Jack Skille (RW)
81 NHL 12G 25 Pts
Average year = 12 G 25 Pts

This may be too soon to judge him, but there is a reason he hasn't been able to make the NHL by 23 (nearly 24). He has tried to make the NHL each of the last 4 years, only becoming an NHL regular this year.

So in the end one of the 6 is better than him (Suter), 2 are NHL are regulars of inferior production (Komisarek, Olesz), 2 couldn't make the NHL (Jonsson and Beech), and one (Skille) looks likely to be MUCH worse but still may need more time (way more than Lupul needed (he scored 28 goals as a 22 year old).

So no I wouldn't say he has underachieved. Thats part 1.

Now for part 2, does he have the right to tell others how to act on the ice? I would say he has earned that for three different reasons.

1)Being a veteran of 423 NHL games he has clearly done his time to be able to call out a rookie when he thinks one is out of line. Especially when his complaint was based on his own actions on the ice against him. Lupul fought him. Its not like he was just whining from the side lines.

2) Lupul recovered from a horrible injury and then a terrible (and terribly unlucky) blood infection to follow it. What does he do after it? He trains as hard as he can and gets back in the game. Thats perseverance. If he gets into a fight with some punk rookie who doesn't even follow the unwritten rules, he has the right to call him out.

3) He was asked. He didn't go looking for the media to say that. You can't blame him for answering.

Finally, why are you being such a smart ass:
"If you want to casually put your arm around him during warm-up and quietly ask, “Excuse me, my friend, but the next time we go toe-to-toe, would you mind removing your visored headgear concurrently with my removal?” that would be fine."

Clearly thats the way hockey players act. Get your head in reality. "Excuse me, my friend?" We both know this suggestion is nonsense.

Cheers

Nice work BCapp too bad the writer didn't do his homework before putting up such trash...sigh.
We read blogs in attempts to remove ourselves from the mundaneness of poor writing we find in MSM and this article is so MSM worthy... sun media is calling!

It once again it shows that you only need a mouth and not a BRAIN to have a site to blog on once again someone that has not done saying how it is supposed to be I hope someone nails PK good because he is a big mouth cheap shot artist.